Weekly Email Update 5.14.18

Weekly Email Update 5.14.18

"The tallest oak in the forest was once just a little nut that held its ground."Anon

There's lots to get to this week, fellow activists; so let's get right to it:

HAPPENING THIS WEEK MONDAY, MAY 14th, 2018-SUNDAY MAY, 20th, 2018

The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival Beginning Monday, May 14th, 2018 through Friday-June 22nd, 2018For more information: vermont@poorpeoplescampaign.orgFor local carpooling: Ellen at eschwa1@myfairpoint.net or (802) 257-4436Starting on Monday, May 14th, 2018, the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival will launch a season of nonviolent moral direct action. By engaging in highly publicized, nonviolent moral direct action, the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival aims to bring about a serious national examination of the intertwined problems of systemic racism, systemic poverty, ecological devastation, the war economy and our distorted moral narrative. Each Monday, there will be a rally at the State House. People who have committed to taking direct action and been trained will engage in nonviolent direct action. If you are interested, but have not been trained, there will be a training each Sunday evening at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Barre, with solidarity housing provided. To sign up for the training contact vermont@poorpeoplescampaign.org and for solidarity housing contact Avery Book: avery.book@gmail.com.Each Monday's actions will also include a rally that includes people who are not participating in the direct action. The rallies will be at the State House and begin at 2:00pm.Each week has a theme, but this is a fusion campaign, meaning that we understand these problems to be joined at the root and to come from the same underlying causes. The aim is to highlight ways that systemic poverty, racism, militarism and environmental degradation impact our communities, but not to separate them into silos.

The themes are:Week 1 (May 13-19) – Somebody’s Hurting Our People: Child poverty, Women, and People with DisabilitiesWeek Two (May 20-26) – Linking Systemic Racism and Poverty: Voting Rights and ImmigrationWeek Three (May 27-June 2) - The War Economy: militarism and the proliferation of gun violenceWeek Four (June 3-9) - Ecological Devastation and the Right HealthWeek Five(June 10-16) – Everybody’s Got the Right to Live: Education, Jobs, Income and HousingWeek Six (June 17-22) – A New and Unsettling ForceJune 23rd – Mass rally in Washington, D.C. and Global Day of Solidarity

Nakba Rally and Vigilhosted by Brattleboro SolidarityMonday, May 14th, 2018 at Pliny Park (the Intersection of Main Street and High Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 5pm-7pmBrattleboro Solidarity continues to strengthen its efforts with the support of over 700 people, who have signed the petition for Bernie to go to Gaza. Please consider signing and sharing the petition. May 15th, 2018 marks the 70th year of al Nakba, The Catastrophe, when 750,000 Palestinians were forcibly removed from their homes, today exceeding 8 million refugees worldwide. We stand in solidarity with the tens of thousands of Palestinians who have organized the Great March of Return. Since March 30th, Palestinians have been protesting nonviolently each week at the Gaza boundary to end the siege and demand their right to return to their homeland. These protests have been met by extreme violence, with the Israeli military declaring a "shoot to kill" policy. Over 2,000 of the 6,400 injuries were caused by live ammunition, 530 of them children, while 51 people have been killed (stats from the month of April, Electronic). A 2017 United Nations report found that Gaza is “unlivable” due to the now 12 year Israeli blockade. The lack of livelihood, employment, adequate healthcare, education, electricity and clean water are testament to the urgency of the situation. Of note, the report found that Gaza’s only water source is predicted to be “irreversibly depleted” by 2020 unless immediate action is taken. The United States must not sit back and watch while Palestinians are killed. Our vision and action is to stop violent actions against Palestinians, Black people, Indigenous peoples, and poor people. Land and resources must not divide human community.

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Nakba Day Commemoration Turn Outhosted by Jewish Voice for Peace Western MassTuesday, May 15th, 2018 at Northampton City Hall (201 Main Street, Northampton, MA) on the Steps. 5:30pm. Bring signs, all are welcome. On Tuesday, May 15, please join the Western Mass chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace to remember, mourn, and denounce 70 years of al-Nakba ("the Catastrophe"). We will hear from speakers on the steps of City Hall, and turn out with banners and educational materials to protest the ongoing catastrophe faced by Palestinians.May 14 is the anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel. May 15 is a day Palestinians call Nakba Day, a day to mourn al-Nakba--the Catastrophe--the violent expulsion of around 750,000 Palestinians and the destruction of 400 Palestinian villages between 1947 and 1949 by Zionist forces in order to ensure a Jewish majority in the state of Israel. Today, the Nakba persists: Israel continues to swallow up land and resources left to the Palestinians in 1948. The people who lost their homes during the Nakba and their descendants, numbering in the millions, remain refugees to this day. Blockades, travel restrictions, and decreasing access to water, medicine, and electricity make daily life for many Palestinians nearly impossible. Palestinians continue to be displaced, terrorized, subjected to collective punishment, wrongfully imprisoned, and worse. Each year on May 15, Palestinians and others across the world gather to commemorate the Nakba and protest its continuing impact. This year, Nakba Day is particularly poignant, coinciding with both Trump’s widely criticized move of the US embassy to Jerusalem, as well as Palestinian demonstrations at the Gaza border. Since March 30, Palestinian demonstrators have participated in a series of actions called the Great Return March, organized by civil society and grassroots activists, calling for an end to the siege of Gaza and the right of return for Palestinian refugees according to international law. Over the past six weeks, Israeli military forces have attacked non-violent protesters and journalists in Gaza, killing more than 45 people and wounding over 5,000, including children. The Great Return March will culminate with demonstrations in Gaza and around the world on May 15, and we are honored to show our solidarity by gathering together in Northampton in remembrance and protest.

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Brattleboro Democracy Forum Featuring Tim Kipporganized by We Celebrate Democracy/Civil Rights for All, Box 6231, Brattleboro Vt, 05302Wednesday, May 16th, 2018 at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden (157 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 12pm-1pm, during the Brown Bag Lunch Hour.Check out the Brown Bag Lunch calendar at Brown Bag Lunch on Strolling of the heifers.com. Please make a date to Speak up for Democracy: June: 13. July: 11 & 25; August 8 & 22, September: 12 & 26; October: 10 & 24: November: 14 & 28; December: 12 & 26 are available. Contact Woody Bernhard: woodyandsusan@gmail.com - 802 464 3154, to arrange to make a presentation at the Democracy Forum. When you present at the "Democracy Forum" you are making a public statement that you care about democracy and civil rights for all people. Democracy can't stand up for itself so, we the people (all of us!) have to stand up for democracy. Thank you for presenting. In order to stand up to the bullies in our society we say at all our events: All who attend this event agree to behave nonviolently in word and in deed. If Democracy could talk, Democracy would say "Thank You". Positive Nonviolent Public Action For Democracy And Civil Rights For All People.

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Protest Vigil at TD Bansponsored by Post Oil SolutionsFriday, May 18th, 2018 (and every Friday) in front of TD Bank Brattleboro (215 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 12pm-1pm. Signs will be providedTD is a major investor in Tar Sands. TD helps to fund the Dakota Access Pipeline. The State of Vermont Keeps Most of Our Cash in TD. What You Can You Do (besides attending the vigils): If you’re a TD depositor, change banks!Founded in 2005, Post Oil Solutions is a 501c3 community organizing project in Southeastern Vermont whose mission is to help empower the people of the Central Connecticut River Valley bioregion in this era of global warming and climate change to develop sustainable, resilient , collaborative, and socially just communities leading to a self- and community-sufficient post petroleum society.

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Whetstone Walkabout & Open House co-organized by Hilltop Montessori, the Town of Brattleboro, Vermont Performance Lab and the Vermont River Conversance hosted by Root Social Justice CenterFriday, May 18th, 2018at The Root Social Justice Center (The Whetstone Studio of the Arts, 28 Williams Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301) on the First Floor. 4:30pm-7:30pm. As part of the Confluence Project, Middle School students at the Hilltop Montessori School have been working with Abeneki artist and educator, Judy Dow, and river experts and regional planners to focus on the floodplain restoration project at 250 Birge Street in Brattleboro at the 12-acre parcel along the Whetstone Brook, known as "Saw Dust Alley." On May 18th join neighbors and hear from local youth for a site walk and community conversation. Hilltop students will share their recommendations on potential future uses for the site to transform the site into an ecological and cultural asset for the community. The program includes a site walk at 5:15 with Steve Libby of the Vermont River Conservancy, and presentations by Hilltop Montessori students and a community conversation starting at 6pm. Refreshments will be provided.

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Meditative Vigil of Lovingkindnesssponsored by Post Oil SolutionsFriday, May 18th, 2018 at the First Baptist Church (190 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301, next to Brown and Roberts) on the Lawn. 5pm-6pm.NOTE: Rain Date & Time, Saturday, May 19th, 2018, 11:00am-12:00pm. For further information, or if you wish to be part of a contact list that will inform people of future Lovingkind Vigils, please forward your name, e-mail address, and phone number to: bereal@vermontel.net or 802.869.2141.With a banner that reads, “May All Beings Be Free Of Pain And Suffering, May All Beings Know Peace And Happiness,”Post Oil Solutions will host a silent meditative Vigil of Lovingkindness for the peaceful, sustainable and socially just society we are all seeking. Living as we do in a time when moral values are in decline, it is essential that we give expression to humanity’s potential for goodness—for love--as well as to encourage that we all act throughout our everyday lives with behaviors that are informed by our inherent heart values. Though silent, the Vigil of Lovingkindness is intended to give voice to these values—selfless love, personal integrity, service to others, moral courage, and a basic commitment to the sacredness of life--that are the foundation of a wholesome society, and to speak up for the compassionate alternative that they represent.Please join us. All are welcome to join for a few minutes or for the entire hour. People may stand, sit or kneel, as they see fit. Please bring a chair, cushion, mat, or whatever you are comfortable with.

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The Wanted 18 Film Showing + Discussionhosted by Brattleboro SolidarityFriday, May 18th, 2018 at the Brattleboro Food Coop (2 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301) in the Community Room (use the entrance at 7 Canal Street). 6pm-8pm.Brattleboro Solidarity will be hosting a film and discussion at the Brattleboro Coop Community Room (located off Canal Street). The film is about Palestinians in Beit Sahour who start a local dairy farm in order to boycott the Israeli dairy industry. They manage to hide a herd of 18 cows from Israeli security forces when the dairy collective is deemed a threat to Israeli national security.

Informational Session About the Upcoming Medicaid Marchsponsored by the Vermont Workers’ Center Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018 at the Root Social Justice Center (The Whetstone Studio for the Arts, 28 Williams Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301), on the First Floor. 6pm-7pm.For more information: windham@workerscenter.org or call (802) 257-4436.

● Do you or a family member count on Medicaid or Dr. Dynasaur?

● Are you a person with a disability who relies on Medicaid to live independently?

● Are you unable to access dental or other care you need?

● Are you unfairly excluded from Medicaid because of immigration status or other reasons?

● Are you worried about changes proposed to Medicaid?

The Medicaid March will take place on June 16 in St. Johnsbury, VT with caravans from around the state heading up to participate.Why St. Johnsbury? The Northeast Kingdom is the area in VT with the largest percentage of people on Medicaid, so we are showing up in the hardest hit region.Across the state, over 1 in 3 of us rely on some form of Medicaid. Politicians and power-holders are looking for ways to cut spending on Medicaid. If you or a loved one counts on Medicaid or if you think that all of us should have access to healthcare, join the Medicaid March! The May 22nd meeting will have information about Medicaid and the march and sign-ups for folks who want to join the caravan in June.

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Climate Change Cafésponsored by Post Oil Solutions presentsHealing Our Divisions and Biases and Unifying Our MovementsTuesday, May 22nd, 2018 at Brooks Memorial Library (224 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301) in the Main Room. 7pm. As always, the Café is free, and light refreshments will be provided. Please note the 7 PM start time, and the downstairs location in the library for thIs talk.The Climate Café and Brooks Memorial Library are honored to co-host Sherri Mitchell Weh’na Ha’mu Kwasset, an indigenous activist, spiritual teacher, and transformational change maker who has spoken and taught around the world on issues of indigenous rights, environmental justice, and spiritual change for more than 25 years. Her new book, Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change, has just been released, and will be available for purchase.Sherri will talk about the divisions and biases, including hidden biases, that have been built into our societies and ideologies. She will look at the divisions created by our shared history, the biases informed by that history, and the ways that they prevent us from joining our movements, with special emphasis on how colonization has impacted our thinking and the ways that we engage one another and the world around us, as well as the work required to decolonize our hearts and minds. Participants will learn how to find interest convergence points that enable us to work with one another across these divisions, and how to manage the intersectionality of the emerging movement of movements.Born and raised on the Penobscot Indian reservation (Penawahpskek), Sherri received her Juris Doctorate and a certificate in Indigenous People’s Law and Policy from the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law. She is the Founding Director of the Land Peace Foundation, an organization dedicated to the global protection of Indigenous land and water rights and the preservation of the Indigenous way of life. Sherri has also served as a law clerk to the Solicitor of the United States Department of Interior; as an Associate with Fredericks, Peebles and Morgan Law Firm; as a civil rights educator for the Maine Attorney General’s Office, and; as the Staff Attorney for the Native American Unit of Pine Tree Legal. Recipient of numerous awards, Sherri is also the cohost of the syndicated radio program Love (and revolution) Radio, which focuses on real-life stories of heart-based activism and revolutionary spiritual change.

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350Brattleboro MeetingWednesday, May 23rd, 2018 at the The Root Social Justice Center (28 Williams Street, Brattleboro) on the First Floor. 6pm-8pm. Snacks provided. Fragrance Free Space, Handicapped Accessible. We'll be sharing updates on the Town Meeting Day Re)Solution campaigns, planning for June's "Celebration of Climate Successes," and starting to talk about a local action to correspond with September's Global Climate Action Summit that will be happening in San Francisco from September 12 - 14. Join us!

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Join the 'Civil Rights for All' Banner in the Strolling of the Heifers Paradehosted by We Celebrate Democracy/ Civil Rights for AllSaturday, June 2nd, 2018 on Flat Street in Downtown, Brattleboro, VT on Flat Street. 9:30am.We need marchers to march, hands to help, signs to hold, costumes to wear, voices to sing. Contact woodyandsusan@gmail.com or call 802-464-3154 for more information.

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The Community Asylum Seekers Project Potluck and Info Sessionhosted by The Putney Huddle and Putney Friends MeetingSaturday, June 9th, 2018 at the Putney Friends Meeting House (17 Bellows Falls Road, Putney, VT, 05346). 6pm-8:30pm. For more info about CASP please visit- http://caspvt.org/. For more information about the event please contact Mike Mrowicki at 802-387-8787 / mmrowicki@gmail.com or Francie Marbury at francie.marbury@gmail.com.The Community Asylum Seekers Project’s mission is to provide basic needs and a supportive community for those in the process of seeking asylum in the U.S.Steve Crofter of CASP has now visited both Putney Friends Meeting house and The Putney Huddle to spread the word on the good work CASP is doing and ask the Putney Community to get involved. Many of us in both forums agreed that we would like to help. If you are interested in supporting this project please join The Putney Friends Meeting House on June 9- Agenda:6:00pm Potluck7:00pm Mtg for Gathering for Information in building a Support Network and possible host families for asylum seekers/ refugees.

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Brattleboro CBD/Hemp Farmers Marketpresented by Heady Vermont and sponsored by Vermont HempicureanSunday, June 17th, 2018 at the Robert H. Gibson River Garden (157 Main Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). 10am-2pm. Attendance is free to the public. Interested vendors can sign up here: https://goo.gl/forms/ba83snLnCpLeAH873.Following the success of multiple CBD Hemp Farmers Markets this winter, Heady Vermont is proud to bring Vermont cannabis, CBD and hemp products and producers to the heart of Brattleboro.Taking place the gorgeous River Garden on Sunday, June 17 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., the CBD Hemp Farmers Market will feature a diverse group of local CBD and hemp producers and cannabis advocates - all continuing their efforts to bring CBD education to the canna-curious public and foster positive dialogue between the burgeoning hemp industry and the citizens of Vermont.

Early Registration for the Southern Vermont Dance Festival is now open! Early Registration allows everyone to get the classes that they want before they sell out. Advance tickets for all the performances are now on sale including the Midsummer Night's Picnic and Promenade which will take place at the Retreat Farm nature trail. Southern Vermont Dance Festival was designed as a long term economic driver for the community as a response to Tropical Storm Irene. The festival returns for a 6th season with an exciting round of dance classes, community events and performances hosted in the one and only Brattleboro, VT. Festival attendees are invited to attend dance performances each evening as well as a choice of many different classes each day. For people who want to experience the beautiful town of Brattleboro, there are community events with live music and dance performance throughout the 4 days. For the third year in a row, SVDF will offer a Mid Summer Night's Picnic and Promenade, using Vermont's natural beauty as a stage for top notch performance. There are early registration discounts, advanced ticket prices and group discounts as well as opportunities to volunteer and sponsor the festival. Volunteers will be able to take classes and see performances. In addition there are internships available for people of all ages. see more at http://www.southernvermontdancefestival.com

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RESOURCE FOR WeCAN: Rapid Response text alert system.When WeCAN began, Song & Solidarity set up a Rapid Response text alert system for WeCAN groups. Directions for signing up are on WeCAN's website, here: https://www.wecantogether.net/rapid_response We were reminded of the Rapid Response text alerts system as President Trump moves towards firing Mueller. In the event Mueller is fired, MoveOn is planning a nation-wide simultaneous protest. The trick will be to get the word out fast if/when the time comes. We are grateful to Song and Solidarity for providing this service.

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Job Listing

The Vermont Wilderness School is Seeking a New BookkeeperWe are a non-profit organization founded in 1999. We work with people of all ages, especially children, to build deep personal connection with nature. In our programs we use a long-term mentoring approach based on routines of nature awareness, intergenerational mentoring, and gratitude. Vermont Wilderness School (http://www.vermontwildernessschool.org) is in a period of growth and change. We are moving toward our vision of being an organization that is accessible, inclusive, and diverse. We welcome applications from dedicated individuals interested in learning, growing, and contributing along with us!This is a part-time, year-round position. The Bookkeeper works in our Brattleboro, VT office along with four other part-time staff members. Strong candidates will have experience with nonprofit or small business accounting principles. However, we may be willing to train a candidate who is new to nonprofit bookkeeping and has a strong desire to learn.If, after reviewing the complete job description (http://www.vermontwildernessschool.org/employment/bookkeeper/), you are interested please reply to info@vermontwildernessschool.org with a resume, two references, and a concise letter describing your relevant experience and qualifications and your reasons for applying for this position.

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STANDING REGULAR MEETINGS

Lost River Racial Justice, Black Lives Matter-South, and People Of Color Caucus Regular Meeting

The Root Social Justice Center (The Whetstone Studio for the Arts, 28 Williams Street, Brattleboro, VT, 05301). First Floor.Youth4Change (Y4C), a program of The Root Social Justice Center, builds the leadership skills of youth ages 12-21, especially those from/in historically disenfranchised communities who want to use education, art, and action to address issues of racial, class, gender, queer, immigrant and indigenous justice.

Alternatives to Suicide is a mutual support group open to anyone who has experienced thoughts of suicide. The group is guided by a charter of values provided by the Western Mass Recovery Learning Community. The group is non-clinical and does not link suicide with illness. Participants are free to talk about and find meaning in their experiences in/on their own terms.

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VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Inclusion Center is Looking for Assistance with Our Annual Reporting RequirementsNEW: As Inclusion Center grows we find we are in need of assistance with our annual reporting requirements. We all have different skills and if this is your skill, please do consider donating your time in this way to our wonderful program! Volunteering with Inclusion Center by helping us for (literally) one or two hours a year in this area would help IC very much!Inclusion Center is an amazing program that works with all people who have disabilities or medical issues, and everyone else who has an interest in being with us. The possibilities for what Inclusion Center could be in the future are endless: A drop in center within another program! Have our own space with our doors always open. Offer classes. Offer services as well as being a drop in center! And those are just a few of our ideas! However, in order for us to grow, we need a few more people who can either come to our board meetings (the second friday of each month at 2:00), or come to a work group each month (generally Friday mornings). At Inclusion Center we all matter. Everyone helps make decisions. It doesn't matter if you want to join the board or just drop in as often as you can. Either way, your ideas and input matter just as much as everyone else's.Please contact us (inclusioncenter2013@gmail.com or 802-387-5285) to discuss how we could work together.

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INTERNSHIP AVAILABLE

Internship with 350Vermont AvailableIf you are interested, apply online at 350vermont.org/internships and feel free to get in touch with Katherine (katherine@350vt.org) with any questions.This summer 350Vermont is looking for two dynamic people to join our team starting June 4, 2018 for a ten week internship, ending August 10, 2018. These two people will work together to advance our Re)Generate New Solutions campaign and engage communities around the state in climate solutions. They will be integral to planning and implementing different outreach and engagement opportunities with 350VT staff, board, and volunteers. Most often, these internships are based in Burlington, but based in Brattleboro might be an option.In each position, we are looking for someone with a commitment to and passion for the 350Vermont mission of building a local movement to stop the climate crisis. We seek self-starters with the passion, creativity, and drive to make things happen while working independently and in close coordination with a team. Each position will be paid, 30 hours a week, with some work taking place during the evenings and weekends. This internship includes free housing accommodation (if wanted!) and 20 hours of training by our staff and facilitation team.

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ONGOING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING

Indigo RadioSundays at 12pm on Brattleboro Community Radio 107.7FMTo stream live: Visit www.wvew.org Indigo Radio, deepening understanding and making connections! IndigoRadio is a group of area educators seeking to learn through engaging with others in our community and throughout the world. We will be talking about educational and social issues both globally and locally and connecting them to our lives and Brattleboro community. Find us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indigoradiowvew/. For archive recordings of past shows: https://soundcloud.com/user-654648353